The Doodle Off V.3!!!!

I've entered the Doodle Off V.3 and I'm super excited!! I'll be blogging about it here as it moves forward. The competition officially starts May 1st and you can check out all of the doodle action here. We've started writing our introductory posts. Here is mine:


Nice ta meech ya!
I'm Lani. My official business card title is "Pixel Wrangler" but I'm just an all around crafty gal. My other internet persona is GreenSpaceGoods. Most of my doodling ends up in the Ink Blot Collection, an artistic venture between Michael Ayers and I. This will be some of my first public solo doodlage.

Location:
Atlanta, GA

Strategy:
No clue! I guess finding those lost little bits of time and putting them to good use. Also doodling up large sheets of paper so I can scan or photograph several at once.

What I hope to gain:
Relaxation in my doodling. Most of my doodling is actually what I consider finished art, so I rarely take time for "just for the heck of it" doodling. I worry too much about perfection and need to break that habit.

Peace Out!

A Very Yummy Painting

Goodness it's been a while! Michael and I have been deathly ill and it turns out that I've perforated my eardrum, so we've been doing more resting than crafting. I did get a little spurt of energy the other day though and started pondering the idea of a series of vintage soda bottle paintings. I'm trying to practice being more relaxed in my art. I've always been a photorealism and rulers girl when it comes to drawing specific objects, so this time I tried to draw and paint everything without fussy measurements and exact perspective. I'm pretty happy with the results. I love Yoo-Hoo and the graphics on the vintage bottles (far before my time) are so pretty. I believe this one is from the 1950's. If you have any suggestions for the next bottle painting, leave them in the comments. Off to take some more meds. Hope everyone is well and having a good weekend :)

Thank You SevenPly

We both admit to being classic procrastinators, so it's no surprise that we waited to the last minute to figure out what gift to give a certain special girl for her birthday. She's a skateboarding fashionista so after scouring the internet for accessory awesomness, it finally it hit us- a recycled skateboard pocket mirror! There's only one issue- finding one. After contacting several skateboard jewelry artists, we were finally rescued by SevenPly. I can only attempt to put into words how fantastic they are. Not only did they take on the challenge of making us a product they'd never attempted before, but they took it on as a rushed order as well. They kindly and professionally listened to every detail we requested, patiently bent to our every whim and even made multiples for us to choose from. The result is fabulous. I hope that they make many more of these. I wouldn't mind having one for myself! Please check out their shop here. And if you're reading this SevenPly- keep up the good work. You haven't seen the last of us :)

Making Progress

I've been working on this drawing for a few days now. I think all of the ink work is done, but I'm not sure where I want to go with it from here. I think it would be nice as a water color, but the ink is already down, so I don't want to ruin it with water. I could digitally color it, but I just haven't decided yet. Any opinions out there? She needs a good name too. Leave a comment with your suggestion :)

You May Have to Fight Me for It.

Have you ever made something that you just don't really want to give up? I'm still debating on this one. Blue and orange are my two favorite colors (this week), so I'm finding it difficult to part with this little number. Besides, who could resist that tiger??? Otherwise, things are well. We woke up this morning to a sweet sight. A mourning dove decided our flower basket would make a good napping spot. I guess it is rather nest-like. We tried not to disturb her, and she stayed puffed up there for quite a while. Happy Wednesday!

Bottle Caps Ready for Spring

I'm so excited about this color combination! This shade of deep pink is rather hard to find, so we have to tip our hats to the wonderful people who have sent us their bottle caps that made this bracelet possible. With the green and pink looking both funky and fresh, I'm certain that this bracelet would feel at home at a dance club or a Sunday brunch without a problem. What more could a girl ask for? Go check out all of the other angles of it in the shop.

Still a few more to finish, so stay tuned! We hope to have these finished this week.

A Post Valentine's Wish List

So lately there have been a few items that have been tugging at my heart strings on Etsy and since it's been a while since we've had a good feature, here goes!

Ok. I admit it. I may not celebrate Valentine's day, but when I saw the secret decoder valentine by Crankbunny, I swooned. Words cannot describe how much I admire Crankbunny for her amazing skills.

I never considered myself to be a bag collector, but it certainly is turning out that way! Moop makes sturdy canvas bags that are meant to survive life and make it easier to get through. My love lies with the market bag in provincial blue.

Last but certainly not least is this license plate frame by Randitan. Seriously, it already looks like something that belongs in this house! I adore the rough puzzle quality it has and color combination is perfect.

I so wish I had found these before my birthday. Anyone up for Christmas in March?

Finally!

We have some prints for sale in the shop! Hopefully we'll have a wider offering soon, but in the meantime, there are a few ink blots and one of my personal favorites– The Green Fairy. In other news, our Amaryllis just bloomed and they are lovely, so we thought we should share :) Have a good week everyone!

Eagerly Awaiting Spring

A few of the trees in our apartment complex have started to bloom. We've had some unusually warm weather which has actually made it rather pleasant here. Still, I know the cold will return before too long. There is a large tree in our "front yard" that is always stunning in the Spring and is the biggest reason I'll hate to move when the time comes. Its blossoms are rather frilly and pink, which anyone can tell you isn't my style, but for some reason I've become particularly attached to it peeking into our balcony view. Its trunk is slightly twisted and I imagine if it had been fortunate enough to have been planted in a garden rather than an apartment complex, its branches would be perfect for sitting in and enjoying a good book. It's helped this place feel more like a home despite the tiny kitchen and slippery steps. Call me a tree hugger if you like. Sometimes they are just as welcoming as a good friend.

Time is Marching On

I need to make something– badly. We've everything but shut down the shop since being laid off, and now I just can't seem to create anything. I have some good ideas, but I feel like exerting energy on anything other than the job hunt is not making progress. Then again, more portfolio pieces can't hurt either. I've considered working on some more digital illustration pieces, but I'm not sure what to create. At my last job, most of the illustration work I had the chance to do was around Christmas due to the shear volume of holiday themed products we pitched, so it would be nice to have something that shows what I can create without the use of tinsel and garland. If there are any ideas out there, please toss them my way :)

Hope everyone is having a good week.